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July 20, 2026
from
RT Website
FILE PHOTO.
Keir Starmer (L) and
Andy Burnham (R).
© Getty Images /
Christopher Furlong
The
incoming PM
is set to
inherit a heap of issues
from his
beleaguered predecessor...
Andy Burnham has become the seventh
British prime minister in just a decade, formally assuming the post
on Monday at a meeting with King
Charles III at Buckingham
Palace.
Burnham received overwhelming support from 349 out of 401 fellow
Labour members of parliament and was appointed the party's leader on
Friday - the only candidate for the position.
The appointment marks the end Keir Starmer's time in office,
plagued by ever-tanking approval ratings, he is seen to have
betrayed Britain's working class, suffered for his refusal to
prosecute grooming gangs and ultimately failed British liberals on
Gaza.
RT looks into the roots of the outgoing Labour
prime minister's downfall and the challenges his successor is bound
to face.
What prompted Starmer's Downfall?
Two years ago, Starmer led his party to a landslide election victory
when Labour beat the Conservatives by a wide margin, ending a decade
and a half of Tory governments.
The prime minister struggled with the same issues that had affected
his Conservative predecessors given the catastrophic British budget,
such as the soaring cost of living, immigration and tax relief,
prioritizing,
Starmer faced growing pressure from fellow Labour
MPs concerned about his tanking popularity and the party's electoral
prospects. The calls for his resignation were bolstered by Labour's
poor performance in local council elections in May, when it suffered
heavy losses to the Greens and right-wing Reform UK.
Starmer's tenure was marred by assorted high-profile scandals
involving disgraced former British ambassador to the US, Peter
Mandelson.
The former British trade minister also served as
envoy to the US between February and September 2025, and was
dismissed over
his ties with
Jeffrey Epstein and allegations of insider trading.
Starmer was apparently aware of Mandelson's relationship with the
convicted pedophile but appointed him anyway.
Mandelson was arrested in February and is currently under
investigation for alle
The situation worsened in April when it was
revealed that the ex-envoy had failed his UK security vetting
clearance but still managed to secure his position.
The Mandelson affair was further aggravated by the persisting
scandal around grooming gangs, predominantly composed of men of
Pakistani origin.
Between 2008 and 2013, at the height of the
scandal, Starmer led the Crown Prosecutorial Service (CPS)
which was heavily criticized for declining to prosecute the
Rochdale gang and faced
allegations it actually focused on silencing the victims and
sweeping the whole affair under the rug instead of pursuing
perpetrators for fear of racism accusations.
Why is there No Election?
Unlike in many other nations, in Britain's political system a
resignation of a prime minister does not automatically trigger a
general election.
Instead, a midterm downfall of the government
triggers an internal leadership contest within the ruling
party rather than a public vote.
Four out of six British prime ministers of the past decade were
elevated into power through such procedures.
Namely, all the Conservatives successors of
David Cameron were picked during internal party contests
following the resignation of their respective
Who is Andy Burnham?
The incoming Labour leader,
Andy Burnham, has had little
international exposure, having held several cabinet positions under
the prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in the
2000s.
Domestically, he's best-known as a highly popular
mayor of Greater Manchester.
Burnham held the post for nearly a decade, between 2017 and this
June, when he was springboarded into the top position within the
party.
New Leadership - Same Issues?
Burnham has been promising a "renewal for our party and our
country," heralding "an era of hope" for Britain.
While he has been hailed by his supporters as a
leader able to reinvigorate Labour's electoral prospects, it remains
to be seen whether he would be able to actually deliver on such
hopes.
Labour may get rid of the toxic legacy related to the outgoing prime
minister, yet the broader issues the UK government has been facing
under Starmer - and well before him - are bound to stay.
Burnham has already pledged to maintain
Britain's support for Ukraine, as well as to build closer ties
with the EU countries, particularly on defense and security.
While cost-of-living issues and the crumbling social welfare systems
are set to remain a long-term challenge for the new government,
Burnham will have to deal with more pressing issues immediately on
assuming office.
Nigel Farage's Reform Party is polling strongly on
themes that will force Burnham to answer questions on,
immigration, policing, and the overall
redistribution of wealth in an increasingly two-tier Britain.
He will also have to address London's rocky
relationship with Washington, which had rapidly deteriorated under
Starmer.
British media reports have suggested Washington has been actively
pressing Burnham's team to pick a cabinet to its liking.
US President
Donald Trump has praised
Burnham over reports that he could open up North Sea oil drilling,
suggesting it would transform the UK from a,
"poverty-stricken disaster to one of the
richest countries anywhere in the world."
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